This invention is concerned with fiber treatment agents. More specifically, it is concerned with fiber treatment agents for giving fiber materials long-lasting electrostatic prevention characteristics, moisture absorbence, perspiration absorbence, antisoiling characteristics, softness, smoothness, antiwrinkling characteristics, compression recovery characteristics, and so on.
Conventionally, various treating agents have been provided or proposed. These treating agents contain organopolysiloxanes or their derivatives to provide fiber materials with softness, smoothness, antiwrinkling characteristics, recovery characteristics, and so on.
For example, current methods employ treating agents containing dimethyl polysiloxane oil, or emulsions thereof, to provide softness; treating agents containing methyl hydrogen polysiloxane, dimethyl polysiloxane with both ends blocked by hydroxyl groups, and catalysts for condensation reactions to provide long-lasting softness, antiwrinkling characteristics, and recovery characteristics; and treating agents containing methyl hydrogen polysiloxane, vinyl-substituted diorganopolysiloxane and catalysts for addition reactions.
Newer treating agents have also been proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Sho No. 48[1973]-17514 proposed a treating agent consisting of an organopolysiloxane having at least two epoxy groups per molecule plus an organopolysiloxane containing amino groups for smoothing synthetic organic fibers. Japanese Patent Sho No. 53[1978]-36079 proposed a treating agent consisting of a diorganopolysiloxane with both ends blocked by hydroxyl groups, amino- and alkoxy-containing organosilanes and/or their partially hydrolyzed products and condensation products. Japanese Patent Sho No. 53[1978]-19715 and Japanese Patent Sho No. 53[1978]-19716 proposed treating agents consisting of aminoalkyltrialkoxysilanes and epoxy-substituted organopolysiloxanes. Japanese Patent Sho No. 53[1978]-98499 proposed a treating agent containing a diorganopolysiloxane having more than two aminoalkyl groups and blocked by trioganosiloxy groups on both ends.
These conventional treating agents have certain disadvantages. For example, a treating agent having dimethyl polysiloxane oil as the major ingredient possesses insufficient antiwrinkling characteristics and recovery characteristics. Another disadvantage is the lack of long-lasting softness and smoothness characteristics. In cases where treating agents containing alkoxysilanes as necessary components after emulsification are used, disadvantages are that the alkoxysilanes are readily hydrolyzed and the treatment baths have a short service life.
Treating agents with methyl hydrogen polysiloxane as a major component have the disadvantage that curing reactions are incomplete when no catalyst is used. When a catalyst is used, the life of the treating bath is shortened. Furthermore, they have the additional disadvantage of generating hazardous amounts of hydrogen gas which may lead to fires and explosions.
Treating agents with an epoxy-containing organopolysiloxane and an amino-containing organopolysiloxane as major components have disadvantages in that they generate a large amount of static electricity due to friction, oily stains adhere to them easily, and they exhibit reduced moisture and perspiration absorption when used for treating underwear. In order to improve these compositions, a sulfuric acid ester of ricinoleic acid, sulfate oil, a polysiloxane-polyoxyalkylene copolymer, polyoxyethylene addition products of higher alcohols, and other hydrophilic surfactants are added to these treating agents. However, these surfactants dissolve readily in water or organic solvents used in dry cleaning. With repeated washings, they can be removed easily and do not last long.
As a result of intensive investigations by the present inventors, the disadvantages of the conventional fiber treating agents have been eliminated. The present invention provides fiber treating agents which can give fiber materials long-lasting electrostatic prevention characteristics, moisture and perspiration absorptivity, antisoiling characteristics, softness, smoothness, antiwrinkling characteristics and compression recovery characteristics.